Bonhams wrapped up an impressive motorcycle auction in Las Vegas, and some very pricey metal rolled across the block. While seriously expensive bikes like the 1955 Vincent Black Prince pictured above and a 1915 Harley-Davidson 11-F Twin failed to bring home enough cash to find new owners, the 1953 Vincent Black Shadow to the right brought home well north of its early bid estimates. A new owner laid down a hefty 2,500 for the pleasure of ownership. Likewise, one very sparse-looking 1907 Indian Camelback went for ,860.

We took the time to pick through the auction’s offerings to show off some of the more interesting bikes to roll across the stage in Las Vegas. You can check out the gallery for our personal faves or click over to the Bonhams site for more information on specific lots. The auction featured plenty of memorabilia in addition to full bikes.

Bonhams Las Vegas Motorcycle Sale sees big numbers for vintage bikes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On January 19th starting at precisely 10:30am, Bonhams auctioneers at the Barrett-Jackson mega-event in Scottsdale will begin bringing to the stage lots 1 through 151 as part of the auction house’s “The Scottsdale Sale”. The lots represent a wide range of significant and unique items from the estate of automotive journalism guru and personality David E. Davis, Jr, who suddenly and sadly passed away on March 27th of last year following surgery.

The items are a vast array of Mr. Davis’ collection of rarities assembled during his nearly 60-year career history with automobiles, the people who designed and built them, and especially with those legends who risked their lives racing them. Lots range from lot number one through to lot 151, and these can all be seen online and bid on pre-auction.

Among the array of a lifetime’s collectibles are included several pieces of desk art, original wall art, rare signed photographs of Dan Gurney, Juan Manuel Fangio, Carroll Shelby, and others, plus a great number of authoritative books, many now out of print. Not to mention a perfectly preserved crimson red 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe – a favored Harley Earl design – with fewer than 9,000 original miles, listed as lot number 326.

Continue reading David E. Davis, Jr. items and his cherry ’51 Caddie hit the block at Bonhams auction in Scottsdale

David E. Davis, Jr. items and his cherry ’51 Caddie hit the block at Bonhams auction in Scottsdale originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not every day that concept cars go up for grabs. The automakers and design studios that craft them typically hold on to their show cars for posterity, putting them away in archives that we’d imagine resemble the end scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark or else putting them in their own museums for visitors to their headquarters to see. That’s what makes this particular item such a rare opportunity.

Bertone unveiled this BMW Spicup concept at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. But unlike some of today’s concept cars, this one was actually made to be driven, taking its chassis from a BMW 2000 CS, complete with its 2.5-liter inline-six engine. Sometime after the show, it was acquired by a Dutch individual who drove it regularly, but then the car disappeared into obscurity for a couple of decades.

Now restored to concours condition, the Spicup concept has been showcased at Villa d’Este and at the BMW Museum in Munich. That’s where Bonhams just auctioned it off at its POWER by BMW event, where it sold for a high bid of €460,000 (~0k). Other highlights of the event included a Le Mans and Spa-winning ’75 3.0 CSL (est. €350,000/0k), a ’79 M1 Pro-Car (€500k/0k), a ’37 328 Roadster (€500k/0k) and even a BMW-powered Abbatte wooden speedboat (€150k/0k).

Follow the jump for more info on the Spicup show car, this link for more on the POWER by BMW event and this other link for more images.

Continue reading Bonhams auctions one-of-a-kind Bertone Spicup concept at BMW Museum

Bonhams auctions one-of-a-kind Bertone Spicup concept at BMW Museum originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not a lot of people have use for a parade car. The pope would, as would a group of astronauts returning from a mission in space to be showered with ticker tape. And if you think you deserve a parade of your own, this could be your vehicle of choice.

The venerable auction house Bonhams has got a very rare 1964 Lincoln Continental landaulet up for grabs at its upcoming event at the Quail Lodge during Pebble Beach weekend. Based on the Continental introduced in 1961, this enormous 21-foot-long beast of a car actually borrows its underpinnings from the Thunderbird – only it can carry a couple more passengers.

This example was prepared by Lehmann-Peterson coachbuilders out of Chicago in order to transport Pope Paul VI upon his 1965 visit to New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly and give mass at Yankee Stadium. It packs exterior step plates and handrails for ride-along security, a raised showcase seat in the back, a PA system, and a removable roof section, clear canopy and rooftop windscreen to shield the dignitary while basking in the adulation of the assembled masses.

Ford shipped the car off at a moment’s notice to Bogota, Colombia, for another papal visit a few years later, where the high altitude required the car be fed by jet fuel provided by the Colombian Air Force. But in case that wasn’t enough, the car was retasked to fête returning astronauts during the peak of the NASA space program. The heroes of Apollo 8, 11, 13 and 15 all rode in this limousine, and now it’s expected to fetch between 0,000 and 0,000 when it hits the auction block on August 18-19 at the Quail.

Bonhams to auction Lincoln fit for a pope… or an astronaut originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve McQueen is revered by gearheads as an enthusiastic owner and driver of all sorts of cars, from a brown ’63 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso to a teal ’58 GMC pickup and everything in between. But the King of Cool was equally into motorcycles, and rode them regularly.

Arguably one of the most recognizable was his Husqvarna 400 dirt bike. It was on this Swedish gem that he was photographed for the cover of Sports Illustrated (pictured at right). The bike was sold in 1984 and subsequently changed hands a couple of times, but has throughout remained in the condition in which McQueen last rode it – right down to the spare spark plug he taped to the frame.

Now the ’71 Husky is crossing the auction block once again as part of Bonhams‘ enormous motorcycle and memorabilia auction at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, on May 14. Alongside it will be an endless array of McQueen artifacts, including his race trophies won on both two wheels and four. Joining the McQueen items are such notable consignments as a pair of custom Harleys built for Otis Chandler and owned by the Guggenheim Foundation, as well as a pair of classic Norton racers. Follow the jump for a pair of press releases and check out the images in the gallery below for more.

[Source: Bonhams]

Continue reading Bonhams to auction McQueen’s Husqvarna, memorabilia at the Quail Lodge

Bonhams to auction McQueen’s Husqvarna, memorabilia at the Quail Lodge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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